Development of a welfare assessment protocol for migratory goats in the North-Western Himalayan region.

Abstract

This study aimed to develop a welfare assessment protocol specifically for migratory goats, acknowledging that migratory pastoralism, while allowing natural behavior expression, can compormise welfare due to environmental stressors and malnutrition. Existing research predominantly focuses on intensive systems, leaving a gap in migratory system assessment. Adapted from the AWIN framework, the protocol was developed through a systematic literature review and expert consultation (N = 46), prioritizing welfare indicators using Likert scale and Weighted Average Index. The protocol includes five welfare domains - feeding, environment/facility around camping, health, behavior, and performance - with 32 indicators (5, 6, 9, 5, and 7 per domain,). Weighted scores were allocated as 25, 15, 30, 15, and 15,respectively, totalling100. Cronbach's alpha of 0.90 confirmed reliability and internal consistency, with content validity supported by 91.30% expert agreement. Feasibility testing across varying altitudes and physiological stages validated the protocol in high altitude, vertical migratory systems, However, further testing is required for low-altitude, horizontal migratory systems to address environmental and management differences. This protocol offers a taiilored framework for assessing welfare in migraotry goat systems..